The City Council last week approved the proposed $15.8 million water and sewer enterprise budget for the coming fiscal year, including capital expenditures of $3.238 million for water and sewer improvement projects.
The Council voted unanimously to support the spending plan, which includes no proposed rate increases for rate payers in the coming fiscal year and only nominal funding from the city’s budget for the coming fiscal year.
According to City Auditor Richard Viscay, the purpose of an enterprise account is that service is provided through the receipts received by the account. The city budget does include $561,191 to support indirect costs associated with the city employees that work in the water and sewer departments, but virtually all other expenses associated with the department are covered by the water and sewer rates that are paid by the users.
Viscay also told the Council that in the current fiscal year, with more than three-quarters of the current fiscal year in the books, water and sewer revenues are on budget and the enterprise fund remains in the black.
The FY 2015 budget also creates two new full-time foreman positions, which will allow the city to spend less on overtime and maintain operational expenses in the coming year.